Safety device for trolley-car fenders.



PATENTED MAR. 3l

D.- P. POWELL SAFETY DEVIE FR TROLLEY CAR FENDERSl M//////f/f/f//MM////f/Ww//f///fr/ A 1 APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL P. POWELL, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SIMEON W.CANTRIL AND GEORGE L. RICE, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

SAFETY DEVICE VFOR TROELEY-CAR FENDER-S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 723,916, dated March31,` 1903.

Application led July l5, 1902.

l held raised five to ten inches from the surface, so as to avoid anyunevenness in the surface, and when the car is in rapid motion and aperson (or other obstruction) comes close in the path of the car themotorman tov avoid running over the person is required to .turn off hisswitch, drop the fender,' pull back the reverse motor-controller lever,and apply his brake. The nnecessity for-haste and almost simultaneousaction of these consecutive operations often gives the motorman greatconfusion, and hence it is my object to reduce the number of devicesnecessary to be handled. For this purpose I have connected, ashereinafter described, the reverse motor-controller lever and atrip-lever device or trigger of the fender-dropper, so that a pull onthe reversecontroller-lever to reverse the car will also drop thefender.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l representsa portion of the platform'of a trolleycar, the electric controller-box, a motor-reversing leverthereon, a trip-leverdevice for dropping the car-fender, and a chainconnecting the trip dropping-lever device with the motor-reversinglever, the parts in the position when the fender is raised. Eig. 2 showsthe fender in side. elevation, its raising and lowering shaft-Winderdevice in section, and the locking and trip-lever device, the trippingof which is effected by the connection of the latter with themotor-revers-V ing lever, the parts in the position seen in Fig. l.

Referring to Fig. 2, is seen in dotted lines the dropped position of thefender and the trigger or trip device as normally held in contact withthe spring-pressed pawl which locks the fender winding-shaft. In thisrelation it will be noted that both the tri p-lever and Serial No.115,654. (No model.)

the lever-locking pawl are pivotallyinounted side by side upon thecasing of the fender winding-shaft, the upper end of the pawl engagingaratchet-wheel on the shaf t, the pivot of the trip-lever below thepivot of the pawl, and the lower end .of the latter, in engagement'withthe lower end of the trip-lever, so

that in the position of the motor-reversing.

lever seen in Fig. 1 the chain has no pull on the trip-lever and thatthetwo levers are normally held engaged at their lower ends by theaction of the spring which holds the pawl in engagement with theratchetof the wind-4 ing-shaft. The pull of the motor-reversing lever toistopthe car therefore will instantly causethe withdrawal "of the pawl fromits lockingl engagement with the winding-shaft and allow the fender todrop by its weight.

It will be understood that the controller has the usual electric-motorconnections and reversing-lever with its motor connections, andtheseiparts being well known in the art their illustration anddescription is deemed unnecessary, since my invention resides inprovision for connecting the fender with the motorreversing lever,whereby the same means b v which the current is reversed to stop the carserves also to unlock the fender.

The fender l may be of any desired construction, but is preferably ofthe style shown in Patent No. 607,514. Its side bars 2 have slots 3 attheir inner extremities through which pins 4 pass, thus pivoting thefender to the underside of the car-platform 5 in such manner thatitsfront end may be freely raised or lowered.

The device for elevating or raising the front end of the fender consistsof the winding- ,shaft 6, revolving freely in a casing 7, which Aissecured to the platform 5 and the dashhoard 8 of the car. Thewinding-shaft carries near its lower end a drum 9, around which is woundthe cable 10 forv supporting the front end of the fender, This cable 10is secured in eyes 11 at the frontend of the fender and passes up over apulley 12 upon the front platform and in through openings in thedashboard and casing to the drum. The top of the wind.- ing-shaft issquared, so that a crank-handle may be fitted thereon to turn the shaftand wind the cable l0 around its drum 9 to raise the fender. At theupper end of the shaft is shown the means for lockingit, which consistsof a ratchet-wheel 13, splined upon the shaft near its upper end, and apawl or latch 14, pivoted to the casing at 15 and having its bit 16normally pressed against the ratchetwheel 13 by the spring 17 to lockthe shaft. Below the pivot 15 is pivoted at 18 the trigger or trip-lever19, which is a long lever or handle, the lower end of which normallybears against the lower end 21 of the pivoted pawl 14, and therebyreleases its bit 16 from the shaft-ratchet 13 and permits the shaft tounwind and the fender to drop. A chain or other tiexible connection. 22is fastened at one end to the top of the trigger 19 and at or near itsother end to a hook 23 on the reverse controller-lever 24. The reversecontroller-lever normally stands slightly forward, and in such positionthe chain 22 is drawn tant between it. and the top of the trigger 19, sothat when the reverse controller-lever is pulled back it will throughthe chain also pull out the trigger or trip device, and thereby releasethe fender and allow it to drop.

lVhile I have shown and described a preferred form ot' winding andlocking means l'or the fender, it is obvious that the concention ofusing the motor-reversing lever as the means by connection therewith ofreleasing the lock of the fender inthe operation of reversing the carmay be carried out by any form of Winder and lock in which the movementof the motor-reversing lever-is caused to release the lock to drop thefender, and I (lo not wish to be understood as limiting myself to theprecise detail and construction.

I claiml. In an electric car, a controller therefor, a motor-reversinglever on said controller, a fender, means for dropping said fender, anda flexile connection between the reversinglever and the fender-droppingmeans, whereby a pull on the motor-reversing lever will drop the fender,substantially as described.

2. In an electric car, a controller therefor,

a motor-reversing lever for said controller, a fender, a device forraising said fender, a device for locking said fender-raising device,means for releasing said locking device, in combination with a chainconnecting said motor-reversing lever and said releasing device wherebythe movement of the motor-reversing lever to stop the car will releasethe lock of the fender-raising device to drop the fender, substantiallyas described.

3. In an electric car and in combination a pivotally-mounted fender, aWinding-shaft and means connecting it with the fender, aspring-sustained pivoted pawl engaging the Winding-shaft to lock it, acontroller, a motor-reversing lever, a trip-lever normally in engagementwith one end of the pawl and a connection for the other end of thetrip-lever and forthe reversing-lever, for operation in the way stated.

4. In an electric car and in combination a controller therefor, amotor-reversing lever, a fender, a locking device therefor, a tripdevice for the latter and means connecting the trip device and themotor-reversing lever for operation in the Way stated.

5. In an electric car and in combination, a piVotally-mounted fender, acasing fixed to the car, a Winding-shaft mounted in the casing andhaving a ratchet-wheel and a cable connecting a winding-drum on theshaft, with the fender, a spring-sustained pawl pivoted on the casingengaging the shaft-ratchet to lock it, a controller, a motor-reversinglever, a trip-lever pivoted on the casing by the side of the pawl havingits lower end in engagement with the lower end of the pawl, and a chainconnecting the'upper end of the triplever with the motor-reversinglever.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL P. POWELL.

Viitnesses:

A. ROWLAND JOHNSON, WELLS IAT. Moens.

